


Group Therapy

by pierrotparty



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Mental Health Issues, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 12:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17182625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pierrotparty/pseuds/pierrotparty
Summary: Just before 6:00 pm on a Tuesday night, a small group of adults start to gather in the main building. The blonde woman at the desk smiles a pearly white smile and directs them to their meeting room, which they have all passed to get to their regular private sessions further down the hall.--Self-Indulgent mental health system AU written several months ago





	Group Therapy

The inside of the main MACUSA building is tidy, but not quite clinical. 

Hallways with rows of doors leading to private offices and supply closets separate the sitting areas from each other. Windows are placed so that most rooms are at least partially lit during the day, and the walls are carefully decorated with paintings, wall plaques, and flyers. These announce a special occasion for the residential clients, crisis hotline numbers, and charity drive dates, among other things. A few sitting areas have stacks of posters, some cheap art supplies, boxes of stress relief toys, likely left out for younger clients and some of the more antsy adults. Different sections of the building more closely resemble anything from a middle school classroom to a doctor's waiting room. Several smaller buildings on the campus are for their own individual purposes. There's a long and tall structure for residential care, a building with office cubicles barely visible through tinted windows, and a house much older than the rest of the campus, where the founder of the organization must have lived a hundred years ago or more, that is occasionally used for family meetings. 

Just before 6:00 pm on a Tuesday night, a small group of adults start to gather in the main building. The blonde woman at the desk smiles a pearly white smile and directs them to their meeting room, which they have all passed to get to their regular private sessions further down the hall. 

A woman in a pantsuit is there first, leaflets and a large workbook setting on her crossed legs. Two men who seem to have been having a casual conversation enter, one short and stout and clearly leading the conversation, one tall and skinnier with a mess of auburn hair who is nodding and smiling as if he isn't sure he knows how. A young man with dark eyes, dark hair, amd dark clothing doesn't acknowledge anyone beyond a polite nod when he enters, and a thin young woman with her dark hair tied up in a messy style follows a similar pattern. Finally, a man dressed more formally than the whole lot of them strides in, greeting the group before sitting with one ankle on the other knee and resting a workbook similar to the first woman's on top.

"It looks like everyone's here." He observes, then looks at the woman for a nod of affirmation. "Starting now, you're all in the first meeting of of our brand new group therapy system. We have this program set up so that folks can join at any time, so you may see new faces before the cycle restarts completely. About every six months our discussions will loop back around to the topics we started with, so that everyone will learn the same things over time. As long as you are recieving other services from us, this group is free and not a requirement, though I am glad to see you all turned out."  

A round of nods follows, and a soft "no problem" from the stout man.

The woman tucks a lock of thick brown hair behind her ear and smiles warmly at everyone. "This group is a lot smaller than the 12-18 year old group, huh?" She begins. "So really quick, I know I've worked with Credence and Nagini before," She gestures at the two quieter of the group. "And some of you know Percy here," A few nods as she gestures at the well-dressed man, who doesn't seem happy to be called Percy. "But we haven't all met, I don't think, so does everyone want to introduce themselves? Name, age, and... something you're proud of yourself for accomplishing lately."

There is silence, though thankfully none of them object and eventually everyone manages a nod.

The woman and "Percy" exchange a look. This group is a awful quiet one.

"Alright, I'll start. My name is Tina, Tina Goldstein, I'm 26 and I'm a counsellor here, as you might assume." She smiles. "I'd say I'm proud of finally completing my Bachelor's." 

She turns to the man beside her, who leans forward a bit as he begins to speak. "I'm Percival Graves, I'm 41. I've been working with MACUSA as a case manager for 8 years. I'm proud of..." He trails for just a moment. "Hell, getting you all to agree to come. Group settings aren't for everyone, and I'm glad I was persuasive enough to make you all give it a shot."

He turns to the quiet young man, who is next if they're going in a clockwise order. "Your turn, kiddo."

The young man rakes his fingers through the front of his short hair, as if trying to will it to grow longer and cover his face. 

"...My name's Credence. I'm 22." He answers, voice dull and quiet. "I'm... proud of... helping my sister with school." 

The young woman a few seats from him is looking at him thoughtfully as he speaks, and he in turn seems surprised by something when she takes her turn. 

"I'm Nagini, I'm 19." She picks at the corners of her nails. "I'm... proud of doing better with my health."

The man with auburn hair hesitates, and surprises a few of them with a very clear English accent. "Ah... I'm Newton. Newt. I'm 29 years old. And I am... Proud of the progress my clinic is making." He provides, not really looking anyone in the face. 

"What kinda clinic?" The stout man beside him asks, more genuine and open than the rest of the anxious room.

"A veterinary clinic. Mostly for exotics." Newt answers, smiling with a terseness that was likely accidental. The answer seems to satisfy the other, who answers with a thoughtful hum and a smile before taking his turn. 

"Uh, I'm Jacob Kowalski, I'm 27 years old... I'm proud of getting myself back into baking. Doing what I love again."

"You're gonna bring me one of those donuts, right?" Percival asks, fixing Jacob with a very serious look. Jacob laughs. "Yeah, sure. Maybe I'll start baking for these meetings."

After the round of introductions, Tina curls her fingers together on top of her knee. "So," She begins, scanning the small crowd in front of her. "Do you have any questions for us?" 

There's a moment of tense silence once again. Percival shifts to look more attentively at the group. "We don't bite." 

Newt looks ready to ask something, but closes his mouth again. The two youngest members of the group still don't seem very talkative. Mercifully, Jacob manages a polite clearing of his throat before leaning forward in his seat a bit to address the therapists. "So uh, what made you two interested in this line of work?"

The other's expressions shift a nearly imperceptible amount. 

Tina goes first, as though staying quiet for too long will suffocate her. 

"Well... I've always been interested in helping people-" 

Verbally at least, no one interjects with the exhasperated "Oh, here we go." that a few of their faces very clearly display.

"But-" She continues, unwitting. "As a kid I had thought to do that I had to be like, a nurse. Or a fire fighter. Or a police officer." 

She switches the position of her legs, clears her throat a little. "Me and my sister, we... lost our parents when we were teenagers. And we had to look out for each other from then on. It was hard for me an' Queenie, being kids, tryin to keep up with school and everything, while we had this... major life event to deal with. But we got through it, mostly due to having an amazing team of school counsellors, and some private therapists and social workers to help us."

She looks a bit tearful. "After that point I decided that that was the way I wanted to go in life. I may not have seen all the same things you all have, but I think it's easier to help others through rough times and traumatic experiences when you've been through them too."

Silence stretches again for a moment. "Well said", Percival adds softly.

Jacob is nodding, slowly and repeatedly, like the motion is helping him process all she had said. Newt's posture looks a bit more open, Nagini is no longer picking at herself and Credence is sitting up straighter. The air is more melancholy, perhaps, but there's less tension.

"...Queenie as in the lady at the front desk?" Jacob finally asks, receiving an incredulous look from Newt. Tina just smiles. 

"That's her."

"And nepotism is just part of our charm here." Percival deadpans, earning him the first genuine look of amusement from Newt and a short laugh from Jacob. Nagini catches Credence's lips twitch into a half-smile. Tina scoffs about how having connections to a modest desk job and a practice akin to serious corruption are not nearly the same thing, which Percival only hums at in mock disbelief. 

"What about you?" Tina prompts the older man, crossing her arms loosely. 

"Well," Percival starts. "I went to school for psychology and this was simply the path that appealed to me." He answers, seemingly honest if a bit dismissive. "I pursued a career in criminal justice before this that didn't work out." 

As nonchalant as he keeps his tone, he definitely does not appear keen to discuss it further. Everyone seems to accept this.

"Well then." Tina pipes up, flipping open the large workbook in her lap. "In our weekly meetings, along with our progress and general well-being, we will be discussing coping strategies and further treatment plans..."

Everyone listens as she speaks, occasionally letting Percival take over for her, and the last hour of the session is spent making sure everyone knows what to expect for the coming months.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my boring fic! This was loosely based off my time in DBT therapy, but I took liberties. I believe I wrote this all at around 2 AM. 
> 
> I originally had Nagini's name as Mina, since we didn't know her name at the time. I think I edited all mentions of her, but if I didn't... oops. 
> 
> Also, I haven't seen the second movie yet.


End file.
